Musk ketone can induce the growth repression and the apoptosis of cancer cells. Musk ketone increases activity of glutathione S-transferase and thus may prove to be useful cancer chemoprotectant.

类似于天然麝香，合成Musk ketone抑制了癌细胞的生长并促进了其凋亡。此外，天然麝香处理后的肺癌细胞中许多基因表达发生了变化，这些差异表达的基因涉及多个信号传导途径。在这些信号途径中，与凋亡相关的途径包括白细胞介素家族、肿瘤坏死因子家族和MAPK信号途径。天然麝香和合成Musk ketone能够在肺癌细胞中上调IL-24（白细胞介素家族）和DDIT3（MAPK信号途径）[1]。

Musk ketone可减少脊髓损伤后的次生损害，并促进大鼠神经恢复[2]。

Twenty two cancer cell lines were treated with musk. Cell proliferation and apoptosis analyses were carried out. Native musk and synthetic?musk ketone?were analyzed by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) assay. Differentially expressed genes were determined by microarray and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

The rats weighed from 200 to 250 g and ?were randomly divided into five treatment groups: saline (NS group), methylprednisolone (MP group), and musk ketone groups (MO1, MO2, and MO3 groups).?The Swash plate test and BBB behavioral score were used to determine neurological function recovery after spinal cord injury.?Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to detect general structural changes in spinal cord tissue.?The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for the determination of interleukin 10 (IL-10) in spinal cord tissue.??Compared with the NS control group, critical angle, BBB score and IL-10 levels in rat spinal cord tissue significantly increased in the MP group and MO groups 7 and 14 days after the operation.?HE staining showed that in the NS group, there was hemorrhage, edema, necrosis, axonal demyelination, inflammatory cell infiltration and glial cell response in spinal cord tissue.?After 7 days, spinal cord edema and inflammation were reduced and neuronal degeneration and necrosis were not evident in the MP and MO groups[2].